Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-30
EDMUND O'FLAHERTY.
The Career Of an Irish
Politician.
WILLIAM STUART THE CRITIC.
The Mag who Excoriated Edwin
Forrest, and Leased
Theatres.

as bon cirant. journalist and theatrical
manager, died suddenly on Monday
night at the home of his friend Nicholas
Kilroy, No. 533 East One Hundred and
Thirtieth street, of aneursm of the heart
His real name, as everybody knew, fol
there was no mystery about the man a.
any period of his life. was Edmund
O'Flaherty. He was member OF
wealthy and highly respected family II
Ireland, and was born at Knockbaron
near Galway, in 1921. Before he came
to this country, in 1854, he had finish ed
a brilliant career in the United Kingdoms
had filled q seat in the House of Com
mons, and had done forever with his
family name. He entered. upon q new
field of activity here; he wrote for the
press, he managed theatres, he gave din
ners. he made hosts of friends, but he
never meddled with politics. He had
enough of them on the other side before
1854.
MIR. Stuart left MIR. Kilroy's house,
where had made it his home for some
months, about 7 o'clock Monday even
ing. intending to go down town. He
had not reached the gate of the front
yard when Mrs. Kilroy saw him fall to
the ground. She called Mr.. Kilroy, and
together they assisted him into the hall
and placed him in chair. He was fully
conscious and seemed disturbed that
Mrs. kilroy should be so frightened
"It is nothing" he said, "only little
trouble with my heart. I have often
had worse attacks. l shall be all right
in few moments" He was helped to
q couch, aud DR.. Seeley, who lives on
the same street, was sent for. When
the doctor reached the house Mr.. Stuart
was beyond help, and he died in less
than two hours after the attack. The
Coroner was notified to hold an inquest.
MIR. Stuart of late had been apparently
in the hest OF health and had not com.
planned of pain at the heart. Intelli.
gence of his death was sent to his old
friend Mr.. Lester Wallack, early yester-
day morning. and Mr.. Wallack at once
dispatched a messenger TO the house to
Mr.. and Mrs. Kilroy concerning the
arrangements for the funeral, which had
not been decided last night. Superin.
tendent jackson, of Castle Garden, a
eye of Mr.. Stuart, has offered his
assistance, and will defray the expenses
of burial If necessary.
Edmund OFlaherty was a member
of the House of Commons before the
dissolution in 1852, and was member
of what was then known as the Sad
leirite party. The object Of John Sad.
leir and those who acted with him
was personal advancement alone. John
Sadleir was at the head of the Tippera-
ry Bank, and was supposed to be rich.
Thomas Paine O'Connor, in his book
ON the Parnell movement, states that
both William Keogh and EdIhund
O'Flaherty were in the pay of Sadleir.
Keogh and Sadleir gained considerable .
Irish popularity for their vigorous op.
position to the Ecclesiastical Titles bill,
and by the English the party were
known as the "Pope's Brass Band" In
the election of 1852, after tho Derby
Disraeli Ministry went out of Office,
OOuA OdulcII duu guICC IClhbANSo,
James and Vincent Scully aud Robert
Heating, were reelected, as were james
Sadleir, brother of John, for Tippera.
ry; Anthony O'Flaherty, brother Of
Edmund, for Galway; Mr.. Monsell, now
Lord Emily. for Limerick. and Keogh for
Athlo q. TIE were the active mem.
bers OF tie Sadleirite Party, which sol.
emnly pledged itself to Independent op
position, and with which Edmund
O'Flaherty was identified. Parliamen,
met Nov. 4, 1852, and Dec. II the budget
of Mr.. Disraeli was rejected. Lord
Aberdeen then took Office and treason
and d SIS er followt Keogh was In
desperate straits for money, and the
1risn brigade was sold. As reward
for this treachery to their constituency
John Sadleir was made Lord of the
Treasrry, William Keogh, Solicitor Gen.
eral, and Edmund O'Flaher y Commits.
sioner of Income Tax. In March, 1854,
Mr.. O'Flaherty took leave of Ireland
because of financial difficulties in which
he becs me involved owing to the too
free use of his signature on bills in.
volving obligation for election expenses,
which he was unable to meet. With
Lord George Villiers and Mr.. Gregory
he was also heavy loser by reason of
his having backed the race horse O'Don.
nell to win the Derby. The late Lord
Houghton, when in this country some
years ago, and Lord Rosebery, when re-
Gently here, says that had Mr.. O'Flah-
erty then stood his ground he would
have come out of his difficulties all
right. On leaving England he went to
Paris, and after short stay there
came to this country. Shortly after Ills
arrival disaster overlook the entire polit.
ical party with which he had been atfili.
ated. In February, 1866, the Tipperary
Bank failed, and the day after it's doors
were closed John Sadleir was fonnd on
Hampstead Heath, London, a silver
tankard smelling strongly of prussc. acid
by his side. Keogh subsequently became
a Judge, and later cut his throat in
Belgium.
O'Flaherty adopted the name of Stuart
the family name of his mother, on com
ing to this country in 1854. He arrives
here almost destitute in steamer from
Havre and took up lodgings in an eas
side tenement house. His ambition was
to engage in journalism. He wrote sew
eral articles for the Tribune on English
politics, and proposed to Mr.. Dana, the
managing editor, to contribute to thai
paper series of criticisms of Edwin
Forrest, who was then playing at Niblo's
Garden.
These famous articles, which attracted
much attention at the time, he always
declared were literally written for breat
and butter, and laughingly asserted that
the allowance was slender, as he only
received SIS apiece for them, though
they were the sensation of the day. He
was not an admirer of Forests school,
of acting, and he literally excoriated the
famous iragedian, who was at the time
in the zenith OF his fame and popularity.
His style was first TO describe the char
acter as delineated by the author and
then to criticize Forests impersonation,
always condemning and ridiculing him.
Il. I'm a nrIf